Obese People Should Have Benefits Cut If They Do Not Exercise, Argues Proposal For Westminster Council

03/01/2013 10:43
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Updated
03 January 2013

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Dina Rickman
Dina Rickman is an assistant editor at The Huffington Post UK

Obese people who refuse to exercise could have their benefits cut under controversial plans being considered by a flagship London council.

The report, published for Conservative-led Westminster City Council by think-tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), points out obesity costs the NHS £1.5bn every year and comes ahead of responsibility for public health being transferred to local councils.

'A Dose of Localism: The Role of Council in Public Health' suggests GPs should prescribe exercise as treatment for some conditions - and councils could monitor patients, rewarding those who take activity while restricting payments such as council tax and housing benefit for those who do not.

Obese people who refuse to exercise could have their benefits cut

The report suggests oyster-style smart cards, used to access gyms and leisure facilities, can provide councils with data on whether benefit claimants take exercise - with the council using a 'carrot and stick' approach to penalise those who do not.

Laurie Thraves, policy manager at the LGIU and author of the report, told The Huffington Post UK while it was a "sensitive" issue, they were not trying to stigmatise obese people.

"This isn't really about penalising anyone," he said.

"The real thrust of the report is to provide incentives to people who want to get fitter. There's a lot of evidence to show incentives, not penalties, are the way forward. This is about rewarding people who are making a positive change."

He added: "We don't want to make obesity the be-all and end all [to public health] there's a range of other suggestions there."